Using AI to speed up city traffic
Alibaba has deployed City Brain, an AI system, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to control the flow of traffic. The AI uses machine learning algorithms to adjust traffic light patterns to enable greater traffic throughput. The entire system uses a large array of traffic sensors to learn patterns throughout the day. Besides general commuting, the system can arrange for emergency vehicles. City Brain was first deployed in Hangzhou, China, where it sped up traffic throughput by 15 percent and reported traffic violations with 92 percent accuracy.
While the algorithm uses sophisticated deep learning techniques to adapt to traffic, the optimizations it performs could involve network models of roads and highways. According to game theory, depending on the topology of the road network, there could be Nash equilibria that are sub-optimal given certain road conditions and traffic patterns. Even the presence of another route may slow down overall traffic throughput. Therefore, a smart city AI given knowledge of general traffic patterns can adjust which roads are open and closed to shift the Nash equilibrium to a better state. The benefit to an automated system is that it can dynamically adapt to changing circumstances, in contrast to new traffic regulations that take time to enforce and are slower to adapt to change. Overall, it would be great to see this kind of technology become more widespread throughout the world.
Personally, I think this technology is better than conventional solutions such as fixed traffic light schedules and speed limits. While they serve their purpose moderately well, they rely on a consistent pattern of traffic. As a community grows and changes, those patterns may shift in unexpected directions. Additionally, outside disturbances such as adverse weather and construction zones could greatly impact traffic patterns temporarily. Therefore, a system that can integrate all of the various sensors used on the road could foresee potential traffic congestion and alter the road network to mitigate it.
Source: https://qz.com/1191599/alibaba-is-reshaping-city-traffic-with-artificial-intelligence/